**Date**: September 3, 2023
*Abuja, Nigeria*:
The Federal Government of Nigeria has assured electricity consumers that the upcoming electricity meter upgrade process will not affect the credit unit balance in prepaid meters. The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) issued a statement to address concerns regarding the meter upgrade, emphasizing that consumers’ credit balances will remain intact after the upgrade.
NEMSA’s Managing Director, Aliyu Tahir, provided reassurance that the meter upgrade is a one-time process and will not impact the credit units stored in prepaid meters. He stated that customers should not be alarmed, and subsequent energy token purchases will continue as usual after the upgrade is completed.
The statement from NEMSA comes in response to recent developments regarding the Standard Transfer Specification for the upgrade of prepaid meters using Token Identifier rollover. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had advised prepaid meter users to upgrade their meters before November next year to avoid any inconvenience.
To address the Token Identifier (TID) rollover issue, Tahir explained that all meters would require key change tokens with the rollover bit set, which will be provided by the power distribution companies (Discos). When these key change tokens are input, the process will force the meters to reset the TID stack memory to zero and change the meter key simultaneously.
Tahir emphasized that this process would not affect the speed or accuracy of energy meters. It will not alter or change the metrological properties of electricity meters certified by NEMSA to accurately measure and record electrical energy consumption.
Meter manufacturers are expected to adjust their production processes to incorporate new manufacturing hardware secure modules and key load files. They will also need to manufacture meters based on the specified 2014 base date when updating their vending systems.
Additionally, distribution companies will provide their prepaid meter customers with Key Change Tokens alongside regular energy tokens when purchasing electricity. Prepaid meter end-users will be involved in the final step of the process, which includes entering a special pair of tokens called a key change token to complete the prepaid meter software update.
The government’s commitment to ensuring that the meter upgrade process is seamless and does not affect consumers’ credit balances is intended to enhance the efficiency and reliability of electricity meters in the country’s power distribution network.
